As the automobile arrived in cities, an editorial was written for The Nation in 1931, “An Echo of Wheels” by Rollin Kirby. It remembered an era when “the whole world was awheel, men, women, and children” and “every town had a bicycle club.” So ended the Golden Age of Bicycles.
82 years later, The Nation observes another Golden Age and so do we. The NYC BIke Share is the strongest endorsement we’ve had of, “an extraordinarily practical way to get around cities.”
I’ve never seen this much discussion of the bike in the media since Lance was winning the Tour either or a New Yorker cover.
Later this month, I’m hosting a panel at the Urban Bike Symposium here in Seattle where we’ll discuss this age further and how to maximize its potential. 7 years ago, I noticed an uptick in cycling, spotted a trend something was happening, and enough of it to fill a niche blog. Never expected this though, another “Golden Age.”
Good times. With the bike.